Ten Years After is an English blues-rock band, most popular in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Between 1968 and 1973, Ten Years After scored eight Top 40 albums on the UK Albums Chart.[1] In addition they have had twelve albums enter the US Billboard 200,[2] and are best known for their tracks "I'm Going Home", "Hear Me Calling", "I'd Love To Change the World" and "Love Like a Man".

History

After several years of local success in the Nottingham/Mansfield area as a band known since 1962 as The Jaybirds (its core was formed in late 1960 as Ivan Jay and the Jaycats), and later as Ivan Jay and the Jaymen, Ten Years After was founded by Alvin Lee and Leo Lyons. Ivan Jay sang lead vocals from late 1960 to 1962 and was joined by Ric Lee in August 1965, replacing drummer Dave Quickmire, who had replaced Pete Evans in 1962. In 1966 The Jaybirds moved to London, where Chick Churchill joined the group. That November the quartet signed a manager, Chris Wright, and decided to change its name to Blues Trip, Blues Yard (under which they played a show at the Marquee Club supporting the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band), and finally in November 1966, to Ten Years After (in honor of Elvis Presley, an idol of Lee's whose momentous year in rock, 1956, helps to better explain the band's title).[3] The group became the first act booked by the soon-to-be Chrysalis Agency. It secured a residency at the Marquee, and received an invitation to play at the Windsor Jazz Festival in 1967. That performance led to a contract with Deram, a subsidiary of Decca the first band so signed without a hit single. In October, its 1967 self-titled debut album was released.[4]

In 1968, after touring Scandinavia and the United States, Ten Years After released its second album, live Undead, which brought the noteworthy, "I'm Going Home".[4] This was followed in February 1969 by the studio issue, Stonedhenge, a British hit, that included another well known track, "Hear Me Calling" (it was released also as a single, and covered in 1972 by the British glam rock rising stars, Slade). In July 1969 the group appeared at the Newport Jazz Festival, in the first event to which rock bands were invited. In August, the band performed a breakthrough American appearance at Woodstock; their rendition of "I'm Going Home" featuring Alvin Lee as lead singer, was featured in both the subsequent film and soundtrack album and catapulted them to star status.[4]

During 1970, Ten Years After released "Love Like a Man", the group's only hit in the UK Singles Chart.[1] This song was on the band's fifth album, Cricklewood Green.[4] The name of the album comes from a friend of the group who lived in Cricklewood, London. He grew a sort of plant which was said to have hallucinogenic effects. The band did not know the name of this plant, so the members called their album Cricklewood Green. It was the first record to be issued with a different playing speed on each side one a three-minute edit at 45rpm, the other, a nine-minute live version at 33rpm. In August 1970, Ten Years After played the Strawberry Fields Festival near Toronto, and the Isle of Wight Festival 1970.[5]

In 1971, the band released the album A Space in Time, which marked a move toward more commercial material.[4] It featured the group's biggest hit, "I'd Love To Change The World".[4] But the band broke up after the 1974 album Positive Vibrations.[4] The members re-united in 1983 to play the Reading Festival,[6] and this performance was later released on CD as The Friday Rock Show Sessions - Live At Reading '83' . In 1988, the members re-united for a few concerts and recorded the album About Time (1989).[4][3] Finally, in 1994, they participated in the Eurowoodstock festival in Budapest.

Alvin Lee has since then mostly played and recorded under his own name. In 2004, the other band members replaced him with Joe Gooch, and recorded the album, Now.[4] Material from the following tour was used for the 2005 double album, Roadworks.[4] Ric Lee is currently in a band called The Breakers, along with Ian Ellis (ex-Clouds).